This week, among the many great gospel truths contained in our passage (2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2), we will hear Paul urge the Corinthian believers, "Do not receive the grace of God in vain." What a terrible thing it would be to hear and receive the gospel of Christ, and there be no fruit of it in our lives. It seems almost impossible that this would be the case. Yet, the potential for this to happen is the reason for Paul's appeal.
On the other hand, Paul and his fellow workers, convinced of the gospel - that Jesus died for all and was raised from the dead, are so compelled by the love of Christ that all they are and all they do is for the sake of God and others. This is the fruit of the gospel in their lives! They no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again.
Before receiving God's grace, selfishness is a strong compulsion in our lives. Even for those who have received God's grace, this is a difficult trait of the flesh to put away. However, in Christ, we are a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come; our sins are no longer counted against us. And now, despite the pulls and desires of the flesh, it is the love of Christ which forces us into life and into love for God and one another. This is not something we can find within ourselves, it is all from God, given by grace, and to be received, not in vain, but in faith. What a joy it is to be the object of God's favour and grace. |
